school meeting. vincentray and school ancellor michelle rhee will meet face-to-face today to talk about the future of the school system. >> new benefits. the first wave of changes from new health care law start today. we'll brk them down for you. good morning and thanks for joining us for "news 4 today," i'm eun yang. >> good morning to you, i'm joe krebs on this thursday, the 23rd day of september. let's take a live look outside right now. 73. pretty warm degrees for this time of year. it's autumn. ought to feel lik autumn. >> but it's not going to. >> didn't feel like yesterday. at least for part of the day. >> by dafternoon, was uncomfortably warm. looks like we're going to repeat that today. good morning, i'm meteorologist tom kierein. 70 by the day, 60s from the shenandoah valley to the atlantic beaches.

montgomery, arlington, fairfax and prince george's counties in the upper 60s right now. ouof the mountains of western maryland, west virginia and many locations are just near 60. away from the waters on the eastern shore in the upper 60s. right around virginia tide water and southeastern virginia, low 70s. and over the last 12 hours we had those evening thundershowers coming through. but have now dissipated. we have a few clouds drifting in from the rest. afternoon highs climbing into the low and mid 90s. going to be uncomfortably warm or a few hours midafternoon like yesterday. more of the same tomorrow although less humid on friday. tomorrow's record high is 94. so we may be tying it or exceeding it tomorrow afternoon. then cooler for the weekend. jerry, how's the traffic? >> doing pretty well. just a story of vome as you take a live look through vienna along interstate 66. eastbound traffic as you head on in looking good. westbound, also moving along well. no early hang-ups to report. let's hea over and take a look. elsewhere the rush hour picking up a bit of vome both ways at

the american legion brie. just a little volume. no concerns,270 also moving very, very well. let's update you on the rails. have a problem on metrorail's red line. that problem has been quickly cleared. there are still some minor delays between grosvenor and van ness. other than that looking good. >> today we coul get some answers about the future of d.c. public schools. current d.c. schools chancellor michelle rhee is scheduled to meet with mayoral nominee vincent gray. will she stay or will she go? tracee wilkins is live outside the blding where today's meeting will take place. good morning. >> good morning, eun. this is a highly anticipated meeting. not only here in wahington, but also nationally. rhee has defitely gained nation attention since becoming chancellor here in washington, d.c. plenty of folks want to see what's going t happen to the new face of reform in education. d.c. city council chair vincent gray, the presumptive new d.c.

mayor, vowed throughout his candidacy that he isor education reform. but has not said whether that push was movement and whether d.c. schools will include chancellor michelle rhee. rhee is considered by many the national face of school reform. and was featured in highly anticipated film about education called waiting for superman. >> you wake up every morning and you know that kids are getting a really croppy education right ow. >> reporter: rhee has made a number of controversial decisions, gaining supporters and ee voenents. including the mass firings of hundreds of teachers and principals. the closings of schools, and an all-out reform in everything from how teachers are evaluated to how kids work. drastically chaing what had become the poorest perfming school system in the nation. gray and rhee have clashed in the past over some of her decisions. gray says today's meeting is about the future. >> some days when we've done very well together. the other days just by the nature of the process, when it's been contentious.

my conversation with her will be around, you know, where are you at this point? we have had other elections and i want to hear from her what's important to her with respect to continuing with reform. >> after the election rhee was quoted as saying that the outcome was disastrous. she then took that comment back and said th what she was saying was not about gray, but was actually about the perception that folks may look at this as a vote against reform. they're going to meet toay behind closed doors in gray's office. tracee wilkins. >> interesting what comes out of that meeting. tracy, thank you. this morning family and friends are grieving the death of a local navy s.e.a.l. who was killed in afghanistan. brendan looney died in that helicopter crash on nday, that also killed eight other american sailors an soldiers. the u.s. military says it was an accident but the taliban is claiming responsibility. looney graduated from dematha catholic high school in 1999. his family lived in silver springs. looney's football coach said he

wanted to be a navy s.e.a.l. and he became one. >> in my eyes, i think in the eyes of our whole community he is more than just a hero. we lookat him as a superhero. >> looney attended the u.s. naval academy and graduated in 2004. he is survived by his wife, his family went to dover yesterday to pick up their lovedone's flag-draped casket. president obama continues his round of speeches at the uted nations this morning. his address to the u.n. today will focus on his administration's efforts over the past year and a half to assert u.s. leadership and build international coalitions at the u.n. this takes place at 10:00 this morning. yesterday the president unveiled a new global development policy that will put more emphasis on using diplomacy, trade, and other resources to hel countries. certain parts of the new health care law kick in today underthe patients bill of rights. insurance companies cannot impose lifetime limits or deny children with pre-existing conditions.

preveive care, such as checkups, must be covered. also adult dependents can stay on their parents' insurance until they're 26 years old. president obama calls it the most important health care upgrade in our nation's htory but republicans say the changes come with disadvantages. >> -- that you have basic protection in your interactions wih your insurance company. so you're getting what you pay for. >> premiums may go down slightly. however copayments and deductibles will go up. >> access to care goes down because you've got more people and viewer doctors seeing patients. >> in a 21-page pledge to america, republicans say they will repeal the new health care law if they take majority in november. d house republicans plan to unveil that plge to america today at a hardware store in sterling, virginia. it stretches far beyond just health care. the initiative also promises to cu tax, federal spending, and require a vote on any regulation that costs more than $100 million a year.

th pledge to america also calls for a ban on federal fundinfor abortion. a woman guilty of hiring the two men who killed her husband an stepson will be executed tonight. teresa wis will be the first woman to be executed in virginia in almost 100 years. lewis is scheduled to die by lethal injection at the eenville correctional center in jarrett. she bribed the men to kill her family and collect a $250,000 insurance payment. on tuesday, the u.s. supreme court refused to block her execution, and virginia governor bob mcdonnell has declined two requests for clemency from her attorneys. you hear jon stewart and stephen colbert would bring a big crowd. now a bigger crowd is expected for their dueling rallies next month on the national mall. >> the construction projects some residents say is turning into a nightmare. >> 73 degrees. it's going to feel a lotlike summer today. stay with us for your weather and traffic to the on the 1s.

right here in this neighborhood, i grew up lening strong families and hard wk means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in these tou times i've put education first. we've made record investments in o classrooms... doubled the mber of charter schools... and we've frozen college tuition for four years in a row. and it's working. experts say we now hav the number one schools in the nation. when it comes to expanding opportunity invery neighborhd, i know that we must do even better. growing, evolving, literally transforming our lives. now imagine the possibilities of what tomorrow could bring. at at&t, we support a core set

of standards that will guide the internet into the future. to protect users, and reward innovators, for years to come. we support a fair and open internet - affordable and accessible to everyo. transparent networks, managed in ways that are clear to all users. we support the f's plan to bring high-speed internet to everyone in america by 2020. and we are committed to keeping the internet working, as theconomic engine that's creating jobs now. working together, investing, eping information we can ensure that thely, internet will continue to grow and influence the future... in ways we can only imagine. because the future has always been our business building wind farms and expanding clean energy manufacturing. but in america, gridlock has held us back. now, the senate can change that - by passing a

renewable electricity standard. will spur development of clean energy and boost manufacturing in america, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. so we can make our own energy future - not just buy it from china. call your senators and urge them to pass a renewable electricity standard today.

ime for weather and traffic on this thursday morning good morning, i'm meteorologist tom kierein. right now we've had one shower pop up quickly in western washington county. drifting off to the east. it will be near hagerstown about another half hour or so. may be a little lightning with that. but don't have any indication that there's any severe weather on hand for the next few hours. later today, lots of sunshine. a few clouds drifting through. highs low to mid 90s. lower humity on friday. then cooler weather moves in f saturday. a northwest wind should keep things in the low to mid 80s for highs by midafternoo sunday, clouds around, highs mid 70s. small chance of a shower. >> a live look at this hour the rush hour certainly picking up a little volume. be very cautious. opper four over powder mill road at beltsville drive where the traffic lights are out and as a result nobody is playing

nice-nice there. they're just going willy-nilly, so be careful if you're headed up there. the flashes lights appear to be back online a little bit. but we have reports that they were completely out. elsewhere we'll keep a watch on that. word of a vehicle fire now, montgomery county, randolph road just off of fairlane road. the fire department on the scene. find traffic tied up. report of a trash truck fire, we'll keep you updated. >> i like nice-nice and willy-nilly in the same sentence. you go, jerry. 6:12 is your time now. 73 degrees. a new plan tease congest on i-66. >> the new paths a walkways many metro riders will see come monday morning. >> and the stern warning from the nba commissioner to wi

good morning and welcome back this morning. we hope to learn more about that town home fire that killed a mother and two of her young children. three kids are recovering after escaping that deadly house fire in virginia. witnesses say their mother tried desperately to save them all. the fire happened at a town hall on hagel circle. news 4's megan mcgrath is live there now with the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: well, joe, just a rrible situation that unfolded here yesterday morning. there were seven people inside the burning town home. a man, his sister and her five young children. wiesses say the mother was able to save three of the kids she handed them out a window, down to safety. but she was overcome by the flames before she could get the final two cldren out. a frantic and heart-wrenching scene. the town home on hagel circle

engulfed in flames. a 2year-old mother desperately trying to save her young children from a burning home. >> i heard a man screaming, screaming, screaming. >> reporter: witnesses say the mother handed down three of her young children from a second sty window. down to her brother on the ground. then the rescue stopped. investigators say the woman was vercome by the fire. she and her 3 and 5-year-old were killed. >> the kids told me that they jumped out the window. i talked to them. the mom threw the baby out the window to the uncle. >> a horrific event. i mean the firefighters, i could see it on their face when i got there that they were -- i mean, it st got to them. >> neighbors say the townhouse had been without electricity for at least two days and the family was using candles. but the cause of the fire is still under investigation. >> i think it might have been maybe they had candles lit or

something. >>ow do you know that? >> because, i was with her last night, and i took her to the store to buy candles because they didn't have electric. >> now dominion power would not discuss the specifics of this incident here, of what was going on with the electricity at this townhouse. although they will say that they do wor with customers to make sure power stays on. they try to figure out payment plans and the like. but again, they wouldn't discuss e specifics with this incident here. w the cause of the fire is still under investigation. the other three children who were rescued, as well as the brother, they did suffer nonlife threatening injuries but th are expected to survive. back to you. >> terrible story. megan mcgrath reporting live. thanks very much. new informaon this morning in the broad daylight murder of a woman at a greenbelt apartment complex. police identified the victim as jacquelyn ann bass. she w murdered at her greenbelt road apartment on tuesday. police say the 49-year-old was suffering from trauma to her upper body when they found her but would not say exactly what her injuries were.

detectives have not released information on a possible suspect. if you take metro to the pentagon you can expect to see somehanges to the security procedures at that station next we. beginning on monday you'll have to deal with a new pedestrian traffic pattern near the pentagon's main visitor entrce. employee checkpoints will be farther away from the building for most of the day on weekdays. there will be signs alerting commuters to the changes. the changes are all inesponse to that shooting earlier this year that left two pentagon police officers wounded and the gunman dead. are you one of the thousands of area drivers who spend hours sitting in long backups on i-66, even when it's nowhere near rush hour? well, we may finally have some good news for you. transportation officials are thinking of opening shoulder lanes more often. those lanes are open during rush hour but traff is often just as bad durg offpeak hours. officials are also considering the idea of high occupancy toll lanes, or hot lanes, as wells a new rail line to ease congestion.

word of warning if you need to use i-270 in the gaithersburg area ornight. maryland highway officials are going to be shutting down allf the southbound lanes, south of exit 10. the lanes will be closed for two 15-minute intervalsetween midnight and 4:00 tomorrow morning. crews need to install a sign for the intercounty connector project when the itc is nished, it will link i-270 to i-95. although the inconvenience is temporary for drivers, some people have had to deal with the construction near their homes fothree years. >> having a gigantic sound wall. >> it's been living ke in a dust bowl. constant, constant noise in the house all the windows rattle. >> the road is expected to be completelyopened by early 2012. >> wizard star gilbert arenas' suspension is over, and apparently so is talk of the gun

incident that led to that suspension in the first place. nba commissioner david stern reportedly spoke to arenas earlier this week, and told him not to talk about the infamous gun dispute he allegedly had with a teammate in the locker room last december. arenas was suspended for 50 games as a result of the incident and was sentened to one month in a halfway house. stern did tell arenas that he's excited to have him back in the league. just about 6:21. pardon? >> hope he plays well. >> i hope he does play well. finally. decent team. but anywa if you like summer, it's back. >> here's tom. >> just for brief visit and only for a few hours, middle of the afternoon it will be uncoortably warm. right now in the 60s, partly cloudy. but a few clouds are producing some sprinkles on the radar right now coming into western hardee coty. there's another larger shower drifting thrgh washington county moving west to east, just about to move in to hagerstown. elsewhere we have a partly cloudy sky andemperatures in the 60s to near 70.

now climbing into the low to mid 90s by midafternoon with some clouds in and out, and it will be rather humid today. then less humid on friday and up into the mid 90s may meet or exceed the record tomorrow. cooler weather on saturday. sunday, looks like we'll have clouds around, with an easterly flow. small chance of a shower with highs in the 70s, and morning lows 50s. more of the same on monday. looks like this pattern will persist into midweek next week. jerry,ow's the traffic? >> good morning, everyone. chopper 4 over potter mill ro, traffic light issues currently still affectg the commute this morning. they are flashing as opposed to being on normal cycle. now it looks like everybody's taking urns. so that's a good thing. hopefully tt will continue throughout the morning. t's head on over and see how we're doing elsewhere along 270. picking up a lot of volume o of frederick, down toward montgomery village and points south. good news is travel lanes are all open. on the rails, metrorail, vre is

okay, m.a.r.c., just a minor delay at the moment. >> thanks, jerry. >> 6:22 is you time. 73 degrees. a sool system is about to receive a $100 million donation. find out who's behind the generous gift. >> and get ready for big crowds of people. new estimates this morning for just how man people will attend those mock dueling rallies hosted by jon stewart and stephen colbert. >> he looks like a normal guy, shirt, tie, glasses. but police say he is a burglar, and he's stealing from people in maryland.

equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share one of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prs from 14 chili's favorites, like our chicken crispers with new sweet & smoky sauce, our new slow-smoked honey chipotle baby back ribs, or grilled all-white meat icken fajitas served over a bed of sizzling peppers and onions. grab a friend and get one appetizer plus two entrees with chili's $20 dinner for two.

a new jersey school system is getting a donati of $100 million. facebook founder mark zuckerberg is giving the money to the newark school district. the troubled school system is run by the state and has some of new jersey's lowest test scores and graduation rates. do you want to restore sanity or perhaps do you want to ep fear alive? if so, on either count, you're definitely not alone. the natiol park service now expects some 60,000 people to attend jon stewart's rally to restore sanity and stephen colbert's rival march keep fear alive. that's more than twice the origin estimate. the rally's organizers amended the number of their -- on their permit applications. that permit has not been approved just y and the park

service says no deadlines have been set for finalizing it. 6:26 is the time now. dire warning from terrorist oups this morning. what is now our biggest threat. >> the first wave of changes from the new health care law start today. we'll tell you what you need to know. >> and it won't feel anything like late september outside today. your weather and traffic together on the 1s think about the internet. growing, evolving, literally transforming our lives. now imagine the possibilities of what tomorrow could bring. at at&t, we support a core set of standards that will guide the internet into the future... to protect users, and reward innovators, for years to come. we support a fair and open internet - affordable and accessible to everyone. transparent networks, managed in ways that are clear to all users. support the fcc's plan to bring high-speed internet to everyone in america by 2020. and we areommitted to keeping the internet working, as the economic engine

that's creating jobs now. working together, investing, keeping informatn and ideas flowing freely, we can ensure that the internet will continue to grow and influence the future... in ways we can only imagine. has always bn our business. in ways we can only imagine. has always bn our business. at&t. right here in this neighborhood, i ew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in marynd-- and why in these tough times i've put education first. we've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled the number of charter schools... and we've frozen colge tuition for four years in a row. and it's working. experts say we now have the number one schools in the nation. when it comes to expanding opportunity in every neighborhood, i know that we must do even better.

d.c. mayoral nominee vincent gray and school chancellor michelle rhee will meet to discuss the school system. ew benefits from the president's massive reform law will kick in today. find out how your coverage might be affected. good morning, and welcome back to "news 4 today," i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang. it is thursday. september 23rd? 2010 we're going to take a live look outside right now at 6:29. 73 degrees out there. we had a summerlike day yesterday. want to know about the weather toda tom's here with the latest. good morng. >> good morning. sunrise about half an hour away. it's coming later and later now this time of year. because of the later sunrises and t earlier sunsets we don't have as much daylight and as a result even with the heat building it's only going to last for a f hours midafternoon when it will be uncomfortably warm. we're in the 60s throughout much

of region. near 70 near the bay, as well as in washington. and as we take a look at the radar, we are picking up one shower that just now is coming in to western hardee county, west virginia. there's another one rolling across washington county no just about to cross interstate 81 near where it meets interstate 70 in hagerstown. but elsewhere, no precipitation. we have tempatures climbing to the low and mid 90s by midafternoon. but it only lasts for a few hours midafternoon. and we'll have clouds in and out. and then tomorrow, ler humidity, afternoon highs into the mid 90s. record high tomorrow is 94. on saturday a northwest breeze should coolhings down. clouds around on sunday. cooler highs only in the mid 70s. small chance of a shower. jerry, how's the traffic? >> a live look at this hour and chopper four, perusing the interstatesn maryland, and so far just volume along i-95 in maryland. over on the capital beltway and on i-270. no early issues to repo all the way around.

should find all the travel lanes open. just loading up, very typical morning. let's pop on ov and see if there's anything to worry about on the greenbelt side and there isn't. both the inner loop and outer loop between greenbelt down to the wilson bridge moving along nicely. just a little volume. again no maj hang-ups. one more stop this time around. out to the rails we go. any worries on meorail, vre is doing fine. m.a.r.c. 12 minutes behind schedule. eun? >> thank you. today some major provisions in the new health care bill kick in. and here's how it will affect you. under the new patients bill of rights, health insurance cannot impose lifetime limits or deny children with pre-existing conditios. preventive care, such as checkups, must be covered. also, adult dependents can stay on their patient' insurance until they reach 26 years old. president obama calls it the most important health care coverage in our nation's history. but republicans say the changes come with disadvantages. >> trying toake sure that you have basic protection in your

interactions with your insurance company. that you're getting what you pay for. >> premiums may go down slightly. however, copayments and deductibles will go up. >> access to care goes down because you've got more people and fewer doctors seeing patients. >> republicans say they'll repeal the new health care law if they win the majority in the november elections. this morning house republicans plan to unveil their pledge to amica at a hardware store in sterling, virginia. other initiatives in it emphize job creation and control. it calls for a vote on any regulation that would cost more than $100 million a year and a freeze on hiring federal workers expt for security personnel. it also has a read the bill provision which mandates legislation be publicly available for three days before a vote. today we uld get a better sense of whether michelle rhee will keep her job as head of d.c. schools. a highly anticipated meeting between rhee and democratic mayoral nominee vincent grey is

set to take place at high noon today. tracee wilkins is live outside the wilson building downtown with more. good morning, tracee. >> reporter: good morning, joe. this will be the first sitdown between rhee and gray since gray won the nomination f d.c. mayor. and this is an important conversation. not just here, within d.c., but also nationally. d.c. city council chair vincent gray, the presumptive new d.c. mayor, vowed throughout his candidacy that he is for education reform. but has not said whether that push will include chancellor michelle rhee. rhee, who was appointed by mayor adrian fenty, is considered by many the national face of school reform. and was featured in a highly anticipated film called waiting for superman. rhee has made a number of controversial decisions. including the mass firings of hundreds of teachers and

principals. the closings of schools, and an all-out reform in everything from how teachers are evaluated to how kids work. drastically changes what had become theoolest performing school system in the nation. ay and rhee have clashed in the past over some of her decisions. gray says today's meeting is about the future. >> there's some days wher we've done very well together. there's other days just by t nature of the process where it's been contentious. my conversation with her will be around, where are you at this point? we've had elections and i want to hear from her what's important to h. with respect to continuing with reforms. >> this meeting happens at nn, behind closed doors in gray's office. i'm tracee wilkins live in northwest. back to you. >> thanks very much. this morning, family and friends are grieving the loss of a local navy s.e.a.l. who was killed in afghanistan. brendan looney died in that helicopter crash on monday. eight others were also killed in that crash. the u. military says it was an accident but the taliban is claiming responsibility.

looney graduated from dematha high school in 1999. his family lives in silver springs. looney's football coach says he wanted to be a navy s.e.a.l. and fulfilled that dream. >> in my eyes and i thk in the eyes of our whole mmunity he is more than just a hero. we look at him as a superhero. >> looney went to the naval academy and graduated in 2004. he leaves behind a wife, his family went to dover yesterday to pick up their loved one's flag-draped casket. disturbing news this morning about the threat terror groups are posing to the united states. three of the country's top counterterrorism officials told a commitee that the threat from al qaeda and other groups has grown more complex. national counterterrorism center director michael lighter, homeland security secretary janet napolitano and fbi director robert mueller told the committee that al qaeda has inspired other terror groups and megrown terrorists. they warn terror groups are

looking to recruit americans or other westerners who can go unnoticed inhis country. they pointed to several recent incidents, including the attempted times square bombing earlier this year. the man wanted for breaking int houses in maryland. police are calling him the prpy burglar. starbucks is raising prices on some drinks but not all. find out whether you'll be paying more for your skinny half calf extra hot latte. >> 6:36 is the time now. going to feel like summer again today. stay with us for your traffic and weather on the 1s. and weather on the 1s. we'll be right back. just drive, we'll get there! adventure runs on dunkin', with our egg white breakf. hurry in and try one in delicious veggie or turkey sausage. four years ago, bob ehrlich t fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected ta loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%.

and for the la four years, h worked as a hired gun for big corporatns, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle cde do.

nbc's comedy block is back with new addition. a program called "outsourced" will debut tonight about a manager dealing with a call center being entirely outsourced to india. he deals with some rather steep cultural learning curves and tries to teach them about american habits and quirks like cheeseheads. "outsourced" as well as the rest of the thursday night comedy lineup starting tonight at 8:00 right here on nbc 4. >> it is now 6:40. the "today" show is coming up next at 00. let's check in now with meredith vieira to see what they're working on for "today" this

morning. good morning to you. >> hey, good morning to you, eun. coming up on this thursday morning on "today," will a new pledge to america help or hurt the gop's chances of gaining control of congress in november? we're going to have details and also hear what democrats a saying about it. also the latest on the efforts to rescue those 33 workers who have been trapped for six weeks in a chilean mine. natalie morales will join us from that mine for a live report. plus, the pregnant woman whose lower body had to be cut in half when doctors found a huge tumor. she and the baby are now doing fine and we're going to hear from that woman. and is katie perry who toot for sesame street? the new video has some parents outraged. back to you, eun. >> that's someing i thought i'd never see. all right, meredith, we'll see you soon. thank you. >> all right, time right now is 6:40. 75 degrees. beautiful blue sky but some clouds out there, as well. left over from last night's storms or today's rain, what's

going to happen? >> just a few drifting in from the west. some of them are actually producing a little bit of rain as we look at radar right now. a few sprinkles right now in northern hardy county, west virginia. then farther to the north there's a little larger one that's now drifting just to the north of hagerstown off to the east/northeast. it's maybe crossing up into southern pennsylvania here in the next few minutes. elsewhere, no precipitation, it's a mild morning. a little patchy fog. temperatures around the region in the 60s to near 70 now. but highs climbing into the low and mid 90s for a brief time by midafternoon today, as well as tomorrow. cooler for the weekend. a look into next week in ten minutes. how's the traffic now, jerry? >> traffic 4 scooted on over to the potomac river. eventually we will see the american legion bridge, and there it is. report of a truck broken down on the outer loop of the virginia side of the bridge. chopper 4 tells us lanes are open. everybody's moving along very, very well. let's start over and see how it goes. oh, my. 270 southbound, no accidents, just volume now.

several significant stretches. then here in germantown off and on now as the rush hour gets under way. we'll keep you updated. joe, eun? >> he says ironically. >> thanks, jerry. 75 degrees. the commonwealth of virginia uncovers hundreds of millions of dollars. how it plans to use these newly found funds. >> and the world's going to be watching when president obama addresses the u.n. general assembly this morning. we'll tell you what he is expected to say. building wind farms and expanding clean energy manufacturing. but in america, gridlock has held us back. now, the senate can change that - by passing a

renewable electricity standard. it will spur development of cleannergy and boost manufacturing in america, f thousands of new jobs. so we can make our own energy future - not just buy it from china. call your senators and urge them to pass a renewable electricity standard today.

good morning and welcome back. in just a few hours president obama will address the united nations. he's expected to speak onis administration's efforts to help

reassert america's leadership around the world. nbc's michelle franzen is live outside the.n. in new york with more on this. good morning, michel. >> reporter: good morning, joe. president obama has the world stage today, ready to lay out more foreigpolicy agenda. but, the question is, will he be able to keep the attention of americans? this is the president's second address to e u.n. general assembly. and in a speech wednesday, president obama spoke about the u.n.'s goal of cuttingoverty and disease by 2015. >> we're ten years down and just five years before our development targets come due. we must do better. >> reporter: he underscored united states' commitment to do its part, and challenged other countries to do the same. this morning, the present's address before the general assemb comes at a critical point in its term. last year's speech focused on repairing inrnational relations following criticism of the bush administration's foreign agenda.

>> we've set a clear and focused goal. >> reporter: but president obama still faces many of the same foreign policy choices. cobat units left iraq at the end of august. still, as many as 50,000 troops remain in the country to train security forces. mean tile, in afghanistan, the number of troops has increased. along with attacks by insurges and u.s. troop deaths. north yee and iran are still defying international pressure to stop development of their nuclear programs. and despite efforts earlier this month to jump-start peace talks between israel and palestinian leaders, so far there are no plans for further direct talks. but the president's toughest challenge still lies wi the economic crisis. both global, and national. he sll needs to focus on grabbing the attentio of americans who remain concerned about high unemployment, jobs and the upcoming midterm elections. and thepresident islso aware on this trip of those midterm

elections. last night he attended a major democratic fund-raiser a at times there were certain protesters that interrupted, but certainly the president on his three-day trip will keep his focus today here at the u.n. joe? >> michelle franzen live at the u.n. thanks very much, michelle. eun? >> joe, thank you. howard county police are asking for your help in identifying a man they're calling the preppy burglar. the well-dressed thief was caught on camera breaking into a home in the 76 block of browns ridge road ten daysago. the thief stole small electronics and other property. if you have any information on this preppy burglar, police are offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to s arrest. you can call the tipine at 410-313-7867. today we're going to get a better look at the new purple line. this afternoon montgomery county leaders will see the first designs for a new entrance to the bethesda metro station. the new southern entrance would also lead to that purple line.

that line would run 16 miles east and west and would connect the bethesda and new carrollton metrorail stations. leaders will also see new designs for the capital trail in downtown bethesda. did you notice his? hundreds of millions of dollars of your o money was missing? i guess if you had hundreds of millions of dollars you might. apparently v-dot did not until now. governor bob mcdonnell is expected to announce a new audit found hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent money. before you get too excited, democrats are expected to argue that state law prevents the money from being spent right now. starbucks plans to raise prices on some larger and more labor intensive drinks to offset surging costs for coffee and other commodities. starbucks will hold or lower pres on es stresso and tall size drinks. coffee prices are flirting with 13-year highs and other mass market sellers like folgers have already hiked prices. bill gates is the richest of

them all topping the forbes 400 list of richers americans for the 17th year in a row. the estimated worth of $54 billion. his friend warren buffett is second, followed by oracle ceo larry ellison. the biggest increase, facebook ceoark zuckerberg in 36th place. he saw his fortune triple last year. collectively the forbes 400 wealth is 8% to 1.37 trillion. >> mercy. we have an update on a story that prompted a lot of calls and e-mails to our newsroom yesterday. >> on news 4 we introduced you to elouisa diaz. court records show she was thousands of dollars behind on her rent. she admitted she could not keep up because of sporadic work so the owner had no choice but to evict her. the judge approved the eviction last week after more than a year of court battles. all of her belongings were put out on to the street. she had a lot of stuff. after her story aired we had an

outpouring of support. j.k. moving showed up on the scene and moved her stuff to storage fr free and sheven received a lot of job offers and several offers of places for her to stay. >> great outpouring of sympathy and caring from the community. that's just terrific. let's get a look at our forecast. >> good morning, off to another mild start this morning. temperatures around the region e under mostly cloudy sky in the 60s. there's the live view from the sky watcher camera looking off to the east this morning. and it's near 70 in washington. right near the bay. but elsewhere weather watchers reporting in the 60s. mid and upper 60s now in prince george's, arlington, fairfax and montgomery county. meanwhile, on radar we are picking up one little sprinkle that's now dissipating here in northeastern hardy county, west virgia. another one now just passing to the north of hagerown. that's going to be driftding up to the north and east and tending to dissipate as time goes by. elsewhere, no precipitation coming om the cloud cover that's moving on through. but we have some avy downpours. yesterday afternoon, early last

evening. but those have now dissipated. just a few of the spnkles passing west and north of washington. ow, more students at the bus stop this morning, it will be a mild morning with a few clouds coming through. temperatures should hold steady in the 60s and low and mid 70s. then it will be in the 80s by noontime. during the afternoon, low 90s with some sunshine. and low to mid 90s through some isolated areas. but it only lasts for a couple of hours. and right back down into the 80s by 6:00 p.m. and 70s after that. near 70 by down tomorrow under a mostly clear sky. then lower humidity around on friday. afternoon highs, mid 90s. may exceed the record high tomorrow. then cooler weather with a rthwest breeze on saturday. with some sunshine, and sunday, clouds around from an easterly flow should cool things down. morning lows 50s. afternoon his, 70s. that's going to persist into next week. small chance of a shower each day. how's the traffic? >> chopper 4, perused and finally found the broken down truck which initially wa reported in the roadway, outer

oop 6 the american legion bridge. over to the shoulder lane are open, very good news. no affect on traffic there. let's head over and update you. traveling in northwest washington, 13th street just off of t. street just off 13th in northwest, word of a water main break. this is 14th and i. so we're a couple of blocks u that way. you may fin t street closed, possibly 13th, maybe even parts of 14th street in northwest. we'll have details throughout the rning. let's update you on the rails. metrorail doing vine, vre okay, m.a.r.c. rail woe is me. 872, 874, 76 and 890 are all delayed. 890 is up to 30 minutes behind schedule. joe? >> wow, okay. his morning we hope to learn more about that terrible town home fire that killed a mother and two of her young children. three children are recovering after escaping tha deadly house fire in virginia. witnesses say their mother tried desperately to save them all.

the fire occurred at a town home on hagel circle. news 4' megan mcgrath is live there nowith the latest. megan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. jusa horrible situation. very devastating for folks on the scene to witness. there were seven people inside the burning home, a man, his sister and her five children. she was able to rescue three of her children by handing them out a window. unfortunately she was overcome by the flames before she could get the final two children out to safety. a fntic and heartwrenching scene. the town home engulfed in flames. a 24-year-old mother desperately trying to save her young children from the burning home. >> i heard a man screamg. screaming, screaming. >> reporter: neighbors say the mother handed three of her children, an infant and a 6 and 8-year-old out the window and down to her brother on the

ground. then the rescue stopped. investigators say the woman was overcome by the fire. she and her 3 and 5-year-old we killed. >> the kids told me that they jumped out the window. i tald to them, they told me they jumped out the window and the mom threw the baby out the window to the uncle. >> a horrific event. the firefighters, i could s it on their face, it just got to them. >> neighbors say the town house had been without electricity for at least two days and the family was using candles. but the cause of the fire is still under investigation. >> i think it might have been maybe they fell asleep with candles lit or something. >> how do you know that? >> because i was with her lt night, and i took her to the store to buy candles because they didn't have electric. >> reporter:ominion power wouldn't talk about this specific case but they do say they try to work with customers when a cutoff is imminent when they know about the situation. again the case still under investigation. >> thanks very much, megan. >> at 6:55 now, news 4's elaine

reyes has this morning's top stories from the newsroom. good morning. >> good morning to you, eun. good morning to you, everyone. in just a few hours, the future of the d.c. schoolsystem, and the person who runs it, will be discussed at the wilson building downtown. chancellor michelle rhee is scheduled to meet with mayoral nominee vincent gray at noon. this is their first sit down conversation sit gray beat mayor adrian fenty in last week's election. gray has slammed rhee in the past for firing teachers and closing schools. certain parts of the new health care bill start today. under the new patients bill of rights, children cannotbe denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. adult children can be covered under their parents' plan until they turn 26 years old. also, companies can't set lifetime limits or annual limits. and a maryland man was one of the service members killed in afghanistan earlier this week. navy s.e.a.l. brendan looney was

inside a helicopter that crashed on monday. he graduated from the naval academy and fromthe napa high school in hyattsville. and virginia is scheduled to carry out its first execution of a woman in nearly a century tonight. teresa lewis will die by lethal injection at the greensville correctional center. she's guilty of hiring two men to kill her husband and stepson in order to collect a $260,000 insurance payment. and that's a look at this morning's top story. joe and eun, back to you guys. >> all right elaine reyes, thank you. >> thanks elaine. let's get a quick look at the forecast from tom. >> mostly cloudy now. it's mild. we're in the 60s, near 70s. and later today we should climb into the low r09s. we'll have some sunshine returning. and then tomorrow, low to mid 90s and should be less humid and coer weather moving in for the weekend. how's the traffic? >> we're doing okay. 270, wide open all the way on down. just lume over in virginia, along 395. right from to and across the

14th street bridge. >> that's news four "today." >> the "today" show is next. we start tomorrow at 4:30 a.m. we hope you'll join us then. until then have a great day. we'll see you tomorrow.